May Day
by redskiez
Summary: He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, resting like there's nothing in the world that could disturb him. Obito wants to cherish this forever, but when another chirp of a nearby bird sounds, he suddenly remembers.


It takes a while for Obito to realize that it's already day. First, it is the quiet birdsong in the distance. And then, it is the growing brightness of the sky, filling the room with a gentle blue glow. Even when the birds sing louder and the room becomes brighter, Obito does not seem to register the time. All he could focus on is Deidara.

Obito tries his best to remain still as he reaches out. He tucks a few strands of Deidara's soft golden hair behind his ear, eyes glued to the way he nuzzles closer to him. Deidara's head rests on his right arm, while his own arms are folded in front of him, one resting on top of the other.

He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, resting like there's nothing in the world that could disturb him. Obito wants to cherish this forever, but when another chirp of a nearby bird sounds, he suddenly remembers.

Although he is reluctant to break their contact and wake Deidara, he knows he has to. Time would not wait for them and he is eager to get the day started. He slides his hand down to gently touch Deidara's cheek, sliding his body down a little to plant a soft kiss on the top of his head.

The action sirs Deidara a little, but after a grunt of acknowledgment, Deidara's hand grasps at his nightshirt and tugs weakly. Not a moment after, he falls back asleep once more.

Obito suppresses a grin and he decides to give up. He reaches for Deidara's hand and untangles it from his shirt. Pulling right arm from under Deidara is a little more difficult, but he manages to lift Deidara's head without jostling him too much.

Well, even with the star of the day asleep, he has to start the day.

Obito swings himself over the bed and reaches down to grab his pants. He puts them on in one fluid motion as he stands and heads straight to the bathroom to clean himself up.

Once he's all freshened, Obito leans back into the bedroom to check on Deidara.

Still asleep.

Obito would call it adorable if he didn't know that Deidara is a very dangerous man.

He makes sure his steps are light as he walks toward the door, closing it slowly behind him.

After that, it doesn't take him long to transverse toward the kitchen area of the hideout. This place, like any other Akatsuki hideout, isn't exactly small. There are winding hallways everywhere and as it's built inside a mountain, it's rather hard to see, even with all the artificial lights installed.

Obito wonders why the hell did they not just take smaller hideouts. It's not like their world is running out of abandoned areas to overtake.

The kitchen is as still as the rest of the world. No one's been here for a while save for a quick meal that Obito made yesternight when they just arrived.

They didn't even properly finish their food before Deidara decided it was time to retire to one of the many bedrooms.

He picks up the unwashed dishes and places them on the sink. He puts on the kettle and takes out a mug from the cupboard. Obito turns on the tap and begins washing the plates as the water boils.

He places them on the drying rack and just as he does, the kettle clicks. Obito dries his hands and reaches into another cupboard, taking out a packet of hot chocolate mix.

He glances at the packaging. Hm, at least he can still rely on Zetsu for things like this. It's hard to do things on his own now with Deidara always at his side, especially if the things he has to do involves Deidara being clueless about everything.

He rips the packaging and pours its powdered content into the mug. Once he tosses it away, Obito reaches for the kettle and pours the still-hot water into the mug. The powder instantly turns into a delicious looking cup of hot chocolate.

The advances in technology.

He grabs the bag of small marshmallows, nodding at its brand, and rips it open. He takes a few of the sweets and drops them in the cup. Perfect.

Obito places the bag back in the cupboard and heads toward the drying rack, grabbing the pan that he had washed the previous night. He places it on the hob and turns on the fire, pouring only the slightest oil onto the pan. He heads toward the fridge and reaches for the remaining two eggs.

Heading back to the stove, he waits.

A lone bubble forms in the oil.

Obito reaches out and taps the egg by the side of the pan, working fast to crack the egg and let it pour neatly onto the pan. The yolk remains intact. Nodding to himself, Obito discards the shells and reaches out, turning the fire down a little lower.

When the egg is done, he turns off the fire. He takes a plate from the drying rack and dries it with a towel before sliding the egg onto it. He makes the second egg and it too goes on the plate.

Hm, it looks a little bit plain.

Obito shuffles back to the fridge and checks its contents once more. Well, there seems to be a pack of ham in there. He takes it out.

Maybe he should tell Zetsu to do some routine checks on the food supply of these hideouts. As strong as they are, they still need food from time to time. While Obito doesn't need to eat as often, bless the First Hokage and his magical cells, he knows others need to.

Deidara is especially as nasty when he hasn't eaten anything in a while. He could only imagine what Kakuzu has to deal with.

Once the slice of ham is done, he puts it with the eggs and shoves the pack back in the fridge. He opens a drawer to grab some utensils. He takes the plate and the cup and begins to head back down the hallway.

He isn't surprised when he sees Deidara peek at him when he re-enters their room.

"Good morning," Obito says.

Deidara doesn't respond. His eyes narrow further as he watches him approach the bed, then he turns over to glance at a clock.

"What the fuck, hm," Deidara mumbles, turning back to face him. "It's barely past six in the morning. Why are you awake?"

"Did you not get that I don't sleep in a lot?"

"Hm," Deidara grunts, rubbing his eyes and looking too cute for his own good. "What'd'ya got there?"

"Breakfast," Obito replies, leaning against Deidara's side of the bed and holding the plate over Deidara's head.

Deidara mumbles something once more and Obito knows better than to make sense of his partner early in the morning. He waits until Deidara pushes himself into an upright sitting position, reaching up with his hands to take the plate from Obito's hand.

Deidara hums sweetly when he's handed a knife and a fork.

"What's that?" Deidara nods at the mug in his hand.

"Hot chocolate," Obito says, placing it on the nightstand.

While the weather is beginning to grow warmer to get ready for the arrival of summer, it's still cool enough to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. But, in all honesty, when is it a wrong time to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate?

Deidara merely grunts in acknowledgment, though Obito spies that he's giving the cup a few longing glances.

It doesn't take long for Deidara to devour the eggs and ham. Obito reaches out to help him move the plate while he dives straight for the hot chocolate.

Obito hears a hum of approval and he turns back to Deidara, grinning brightly. "Do you like it?" he asks.

"Must you ask stupid questions all the time, hm?" Deidara says against the rim of the cup before going quiet and tipping it back again.

Obito chuckles in response and leans forward, cupping his cheek and pressing a kiss against his forehead once more.

"What's the occasion?" Deidara asks once he's done.

"Occasion?" Obito says. "Do you not remember what day it is?"

"Hm," Deidara mumbles, glancing out the makeshift window of the hideout. His gaze is far away and Obito leans forward, kissing him again.

"You didn't think I'd know, did you?"

"No, hm," Deidara says.

"Well, it's only fair to repay the favor," Obito says.

Deidara doesn't say anything but Obito doesn't need him to. He sighs softly and reaches out, taking the cup from Deidara's hands. He ignores his protests and presses a kiss on his lips, tasting the hot chocolate.

"If you were insistent on me celebrating my birthday, I only think it's fair that we celebrate yours as well," Obito mumbles against his lips.

He doesn't let Deidara think about it any more and places the cup back into his hands. He gives him a quick kiss before backing away, standing up and searching the floor for their clothes.

"Hurry up," he says as he leans down to pick up the discarded articles, tossing Deidara's outfit on the bed as he shucks off his nightshirt to change into his regular uniform. "There is a place I'd like you to see today."

With the turtleneck over his head, he couldn't see Deidara, but he hears him scoff and shuffle off of the bed, heading toward the bathroom.

"It's really cool," Obito calls out at the door as he shuts when his head pops out of his shirt.

"Hm!" Deidara grunts in reply.

Obito shakes his head and walks toward the bed, leaning down and staring at the ceiling. He hopes Deidara would like the place. He came across it during one of his travels and he hasn't found a reason to go back, until now.

With his mind so deep in thought, he doesn't hear the bathroom door open. He grunts when he feels Deidara's weight settle on him, his thighs pressing firmly against his sides.

"Get off," Obito says.

"You don't sound like you want me to, yeah," Deidara says, leaning and pressing a kiss on his jaw. "Do we need to hurry? I have something else in mind for my birthday…"

As tempting as it is, Obito steels himself. He grabs Deidara's shoulders and tosses him over, pinning him down. "Later," he says firmly, though he couldn't resist nipping Deidara's neck.

"Boring," Deidara says, turning his head and pursing his lips. Obito chuckles and kisses him.

"Get up," Obito says, pushing himself off of Deidara and heading toward the door, toeing at his shoes. "We have some ground to cover."

"Why can't we just teleport?" Deidara says, putting on his top.

"Don't you want to fly?"

"I thought this is supposed to be a celebration of my birthday, not to tire me out."

Obito chuckles. "I thought you didn't like my jutsu."

Deidara scoffs, pushing him aside to reach his shoes.

"Come on," Obito says, wrapping his arms around Deidara's waist. He peppers his neck with kisses. "We can teleport if you want."

Deidara doesn't respond, but with the way he relaxes into his embrace, Obito doesn't need him to. He lets go of Deidara, grabbing his mask from the shelf and slips it on as Deidara turns to him.

"Well?" Deidara says, crossing his arms.

Obito activates his Sharingan and holds Deidara in place. "Ready?" he asks.

"As ever."

Traveling by Kamui is one of Obito's favorite thing to do. It's fast and efficient, though he rarely uses it to transport him and another person before. Well, at least not purposefully. His powers make kidnapping others very easy, but the other party usually has no desire to go with him and they often wish to attack him in the pocket dimension, so it's always a little off-putting to find himself in the dimension with another person that _doesn't_ want to cut his head off.

He thinks it's Deidara's second or third time here. Ever since his birthday, Deidara had badgered him about his abilities. While he's disappointed that it's not like Itachi's, he's also pleased that it's handy in so many ways.

Namely, Deidara likes it when he helps carry the crazy amount of clay whenever he runs out.

He deposits them in a field.

Deidara stumbles a bit and Obito holds him steady. Deidara stands back up and looks around, raising an eyebrow.

"This isn't awfully impressive, hm," he says.

Obito chuckles and shakes his head, letting go of Deidara's arm. "This isn't the place," Obito says, gesturing to the mountain in the distance.

Deidara gives him an unimpressed look, crossing his arms. "I said I don't want to be tired out," he says. "At least not this way, hm."

"It's worth it, I promise," Obito responds, reaching out and untangling Deidara's arms. He grasps one of Deidara's hands and squeezes it once. "Come on, you trust me, right?"

"If it's not worth it..." Deidara mumbles under his breath, but otherwise, he remains compliant and follows Obito's prompt.

They walk down a barely-there path in the forest. During the walk, Deidara questions him multiple times. Though Obito reassures him, even he's not sure if they're going the right way or not. When he first found the place, he had stumbled upon it by accident. It's hard to repeat something if you didn't really count on remembering your steps.

He eventually finds the way. Obito stops in front of a wall of vines and squeezes Deidara's hand once more before letting it go.

He hears Deidara make a questioning noise. "This isn't really impressive either, hm," Deidara says.

"Deidara," Obito clicks his tongue. He reaches out and brushes apart some of the vines, revealing an open space behind the vegetation.

"Hm," Deidara mumbles. Obito looks back at him and nods his head towards the cavern.

"Come on."

A blast of cool air rushes to greet him as he breaks through the initial wall of vines. Once he is through, though, he is greeted by the scene that took his breath away many years ago.

It looks exactly like how he remembers it. It's a hollowed out cavern located inside of the small hill, the top had fallen down to cause a natural flow of sunlight to pour in. Vegetation has taken over the cave. He sees the large tree in the middle has gotten even bigger since he last saw it. Its branches reach from one end of the cavern to the other, its roots curl wildly, reaching high and covered in moss and grass.

There's a small pool of water surrounding the land that holds the tree, the small winding rivers that connect to the pool making a quiet and soothing trickling sound. The walls are coated with many different kinds of vines, all in bloom.

Sunlight streams from the top of the mountain and the leaves of the huge tree casts multiple shadows on the meadow below, flickering with each blow of the wind. Wherever sunlight hits, the ground glistens gold. The floor is a soft layer of grass, wild and untamed. Flowers dot multiple areas of the ground, making the entire scene look even more picturesque.

Obito brushes himself clear of any fallen leaves and turns around, waiting for Deidara. He sees his hand poke through the veil and he reaches out to take it, giving it a reassuring tug. Deidara emerges from the other side and makes a noise that suspiciously sounds like a squeak.

"Whoa," Deidara says once he gathers himself, looking up at the view. A flock of birds starts at the sound and flutters away, little dark spots in the air gliding toward the hole at the ceiling.

"Is it impressive yet?" Obito asks.

Deidara scoffs at him and nudges his shoulder lightly, the same one he does whenever Obito is too smug for his own good. He watches as Deidara wanders around the cavern, following him only when he begins to move further away.

"How did you find this place, yeah?" Deidara asks as he bends down to gaze at the pond. "There's even fish here!"

"I found it by accident," Obito replies, squatting down next to him. "I was wandering and then a storm hit me, so I walked deeper into the forest hoping to find shelter in the trees, but I ended up finding this instead. I stayed for a few days, even after the worst of the storm has passed."

Deidara picks up a pebble from the floor and tosses it in the pond, shocking the fish and causing them to swim away in surprise.

"Interesting," he says, standing back up. He walks over the pond and toward the tree, hopping up on the slightly elevated island that holds it.

Obito stands from where he is but he makes no moves to follow him, only watching him from across the water. Deidara reminds him of a child, gleefully exploring everything that is offered to him. He watches as Deidara rounds the tree, a hand always on the thick trunk as he takes in everything.

As he watches Deidara gaze up at the seemingly ancient thing, he notices the appreciation and admiration in his eyes. It is so strong that he thinks it might be a little bit too much to bear for him. Deidara is such a layered creature. Childish and brash, yet wise and observant. Everything about him intrigues Obito. Everything about him makes him want to know more.

He's glad that Deidara's forgiven him. Even though he sees his being Uchiha a tactical advantage for the fight with Itachi he's planning, he also seems to realize that the Sharingan isn't as bad as he makes it seem like. He remembers Deidara telling him one night that he had thought the genjutsu of the Sharingan was true art, but it was lacking so much tact that he found it disgusting that he was so engrossed by it.

"But," Deidara had mumbled into his chest, "there might be something beautiful about the Mangekyo after all."

Deidara turns to find him just standing there. With a jerk of his head, Obito snaps back to himself and he grins. "Hey, Obito, hm," Deidara calls out. "What are you doing just standing there? Come here."

Obito finds his grin widened even more at Deidara's words. He leaps over to the island and lands beside Deidara, holding his arms out. Deidara makes a show of rolling his eyes but he doesn't protest, taking a step forward and sinking into Obito's embrace.

After a few moments, Obito speaks up.

"Do you like this place?"

"Hm," Deidara grunts.

Obito knows him well enough from the past three months that this is as close to a 'yes' as he can get when it comes to things like this.

He parts from the hug and gestures toward the root of the tree. He heads over there and leans against the trunk, sighing dramatically and holding his arms out again.

Deidara shakes his head lightly before heading over, leaning down and settling himself on Obito's lap, resting his back against his chest. The two of them sit and Obito spends the time to look up at the tree. Even though the thick leaves, he could see slivers of sunlight slicing down upon them.

"What are we going to do now?" Deidara asks after a while of just sitting.

"Admire," Obito replies, looking back down from the sky and at Deidara, eye going over his features.

Deidara leans his head back on his shoulder and closes his eyes.

Once more, he cannot help but find himself roped into staring openly at Deidara's expression. After a few moments with his eyes closed, Obito could clearly see the softening of his features and the slight change in his breathing. He's fallen asleep.

Obito grins, tilting his head down to bury his masked face against Deidara's neck.

When he lifts his head, Obito finds that the sunlight in the cavern has shifted into a different hue and the shadows stretch longer than before. A bird tweets its song once in the distance. When has he fallen asleep? He doesn't remember.

Deidara moves in his arms. Obito sits back up, letting go of Deidara and ignores his complaints.

"It's cold," Deidara grumbles, trying to reach for Obito's arms.

"This isn't all there is," Obito says, shaking his head to clear his mind of some of the sleep-induced cotton that had settled. He pokes at Deidara's sides to get him to hop off of his lap. Once he manages to get up, Obito gestures to the other side of the cavern. "There."

Deidara grasps his arm to hoist himself up, following his finger to gaze at the side of the wall.

It's an inconspicuous looking wall, Obito knows this, but Deidara doesn't seem to want to question him and gives him a tug. "Then show me, hm," he says.

Obito takes his hand again and guides him toward the wall, walking along it slowly. They eventually stumble upon a strange looking chip in the wall that isn't a chip at all — it is another entrance, magically camouflaged despite completely lying in plain sight. Glancing back at Deidara to give him a reassuring nod, he holds his hand tight and begins to head into the crack.

It's completely dark at first, though it's very obvious that they're descending downwards, then the darkness breaks and they seem to have walked into a completely different world.

The air here is a few degrees lower than above, making it as chilly as an early Autumn morning. There's no light here, but there's something else that illuminates this area.

Obito looks up. The ceiling of this cavern is completely covered in glowing stones that sparkle like stars. They emit a blue glow that reminds him of a cluster of glowing mushrooms he saw in the past. With the way they pulse, it makes Obito think that they're living organisms instead of mere gems lodged in stone.

There are more things in this room than the eye can see. Even with his Sharingan, he cannot see beyond a few feet ahead of him. The lights on the ceiling do not offer great illumination and everything is shrouded in a dull but hauntingly beautiful shade of blue.

Deidara tightens his hold on his hand.

He knows he's feeling the same thing he felt when he first found this place. Wonder, astonishment, bewilderment, admiration.

Obito continues to head down the path, carefully guiding Deidara along the stone path. There's no way to reach the bottom of this cavern — Obito doesn't know how far it goes — but just by glancing at the side of the path, Obito could see a field of equally dimly glowing plants for the floor below.

When they reach the end of the path, Obito lets go of Deidara's hand and tells him to sit down. By now their eyes have adjusted to the lower light level and he sits down on the cliff, legs dangling off the edge. A refreshing wave of wind gently glides through.

Deidara follows his actions and settles down beside him, eyes still glued to the ceiling. Obito looks up with him, eyes darting here and there in an effort to catch a stone shimmering.

In the distance, he hears a rushing of a waterfall.

It's crazy to see that there's a completely different world underneath the one on top, ones that are so unbelievably beautiful that it almost gives Obito pause and second thoughts.

"What is this place?" Deidara wonders out loud.

"I have no idea," Obito says.

And, frankly, he doesn't know if he wants to.

He hears Deidara shuffle beside him and moves closer, so Obito raises his arm automatically and lets him burrow into his side. He thinks he hears him mumble something about it being cold, but he knows better than to simply believe it. Obito wraps his arms around Deidara's shoulders and gives him a reassuring rub.

Maybe there's a deeper meaning to this place than just the surface, but Obito is content with just barely dipping his toes into it. After all, Deidara has taught him that he can enjoy things without knowing too much about them.

Obito sits until his back begins to complain and the star-stones above no longer shine as bright. He nudges Deidara lightly and he feels him start, pulling away from him. He doesn't need to see to know that he's glancing at him curiously.

"We should go now," Obito says.

Deidara might have looked reluctant. Obito doesn't know for sure. He stands from the ledge and holds his hand out, taking Deidara's and tugging him back on his feet. He turns and guides Deidara back up the path they came from.

They walk back out from the other world and head back to their original one. The cavern remains the same, having no life bigger than birds and fish among it, but with the lighting changed, everything feels different. It's a cooler shade of bone than in the star-stone cave, something only the moon could offer. The water underneath the tree sparkles with its glow and Obito couldn't decide on whether he likes it during the day or the night.

He hears Deidara gasp beside him and he turns to him, before quickly looking at the direction he's looking at. It takes Obito a while but eventually he spots it.

A group of fireflies flutters around in the air, the gentle buzzing a reminder of their presence along with the telltale bioluminescent glow. They hover up and down and around each other, as though they are doing a dance that only they know the moves to.

"I don't think I've seen fireflies before, hm," Deidara says, refraining from heading over to the insects.

"Really? I thought you were well-traveled."

Deidara response by giving him a light punch on the shoulder.

Obito humors him and stands with Deidara to admire the lightning bugs, eye absentmindedly following one bug on its journey to find a mate. He sees it give a pattern of a twinkle and though he's not sure which other bug it has set its eyes on, he hopes the little guy gets the lady bug.

"Thank you," Deidara says suddenly.

Obito truly did not expect that. He turns and grins at him, though he knows his expression would go unnoticed. "For what?"

"You know for what."

"Happy birthday, Deidara."

"Hm," is Deidara's only response.

When Deidara watched his fill, the two of them head back the way they came, brushing apart vines and stepping back out into the forest at the base of the mountain. Strangely, the air becomes warmer and Obito finds that he much prefers the temperature on the inside.

He can't continue to think when he notices that Deidara has stopped in the middle of walking. He turns and opens his mouth to ask him what's wrong but when he sees the knowing quirk of his eyebrow, he knows he doesn't have to.

"I'm still waiting on my actual birthing present, you know, hm."

Obito thinks that he has spoiled him.

"Your wish is my command," he says with a grin, sending the two of them back to the hideout in a swirl with Kamui.

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

Happy birthday, Deidara!

Once more, I am on a strict time schedule. I have to pack and leave for my flight, so I'm not as pleased with this one. It's very rushed, but I hope it doesn't affect the story too much.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment to tell me whether or not you liked it!


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